Chinese official asks if Australia’s Aukus nuclear submarines intended for ‘sightseeing’
GuardianNov 25, 2022
The Facts
UK Defense Sec. Grant Shapps announced Sunday that London awarded the British defense company BAE Systems a £4B ($4.9B) contract to build nuclear-powered attack submarines under the AUKUS program that includes the UK, Australia, and the US.
According to the UK Ministry of Defense, the new submarines, designated SSN-AUKUS, "will be the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines" the British Navy has ever operated, combining "world-leading sensors, design and weaponry in one vessel."
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
These nuclear-powered attack submarines are paramount in the West's effort to address China's military buildup. It is misleading to blame the US-led AUCUS alliance for a regional arms race. Rather, Beijing's aggressive expansionism in the South China Sea and beyond, as well as the increase in its defense budget, alarm not only Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines, but all freedom-loving nations. To contain the Chinese threat, the US should further develop military partnerships with like-minded countries.
Pro-China narrative
This deal benefits only two groups: the British arms industry and Western imperialistic bureaucrats. As for AUKUS, both the US and UK, along with their junior partner Australia, make no secret of the fact that they are primarily concerned with their hegemonic interests with respect to their geopolitical struggle with China — even if this means betraying Western "partners" such as France. With its military buildup and Cold War mentality, the alliance is trying to stifle Beijing's prominence on the world stage.
